Spray shield for oil wells

ABSTRACT

A spray shield assembly for use in conjunction with oil wells which require artificial lift apparatus. The shield assembly includes a split hollow bonnet member which carries a seal assembly with the seal assembly being supported in overlying relationship relative to a stuffing box on the oil well. The bonnet member is removably affixed to structure of the oil well in a position to admit a polished rod to be sealingly and reciprocatingly received within the bonnet member and axially through the seal assembly. The spray shield assembly is made of component parts which are joined together in a manner which enables its assembly to the wellhead without the necessity of dismantling any portion of the pumpjack and wellhead apparatus.

United States Patent [1 1 Edge et al.

[ 1 Sept. 2, 1975 SPRAY SHIELD FOR OIL WELLS [76] Inventors: Billy .1. Edge; Lloyd 0. Collins, both of Box No. 6487, Odessa, Tex. 79760 [22] Filed: Oct. 25, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 409,753

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 239,699, March 30, 1972,

Pat. No. 3,783,939.

[52] US. Cl. 166/81 [51] Int. Cl E2lb 33/08; E2lb 41/00 [58] Field of Search 166/81, 84, 75; 175/209, 175/21 1, 213

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,632,889 6/1927 Davis 166/81 2.213.923 9/1940 Stuart ct al. 166/81 2,318,466 5/1943 Cooper 166/81 2,634,812 4/1953 Allemangu 166/81 3,270,810 9/1966 Johnston 166/81 3,322,198 5/1967 McHenery 166/81 Primary Examiner-James A. Leppink Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Marcus L. Bates 5 7] ABSTRACT A spray shield assembly for use in conjunction with oil wells which require artificial lift apparatus. The shield assembly includes a split lnollow bonnet member which carries a seal assembly with the seal assembly being supported in overlying relationship relative to a stuffing box on the oil well. The bonnet member is removably affixed to structure of the oil well in a position to admit a polished rod to be sealingly and reciprocatingly received within the bonnet member and axially through the seal assembly.

The spray shield assembly is made of component parts which are joined together in a manner which enables its assembly to the wellhead without the necessity of dismantling any portion of the pumpjack and wellhead apparatus.

6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures SPRAY SHIELD FOR OIL WELLS RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS My copending Patent application Ser. No. 239.699 filed Mar. 30, I972 now US. Pat. No. 3.783.939 of which this application is a continuation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many oil wells are located within cities and towns and often adjacent to valuable crop lands. Where the oil well is provided with a pumpjack for lifting oil from the borehole. a polished rod reciprocatingly extends through a stuffing box which forms a seal means between the rod and the wellhead. Underlying thewell head there is usually a cavity or graveled area, called a cellar. which forms the upper'te'rminal end of the borehole. Normal drainage ofliquids flowing or leaking from the wellhead is received within thecellar so as to prevent petroleum products or'well fluid from being washed into the watershed of the adjacent land area, thereby enhancing the local ecology.

Economically it is impossible to continuously-monitor the pumpjack and wellhead. Accordingly, from time to time. the packing located in the stuffing box will fail, thereby allowing the well fluids produced by the downhole pump assembly to spray into the atmosphere, whereupon the immediate vicinity is contaminated by smelly, dirty Well fluids which include hydrocarbons, wax. salt water, hydrogen sulphide. and various other petroleum products. Such a catastrophe must be reconciled by the owner of the oil well. and usually involves the expensive undertaking of cleaning and repainting homes. purchase of growing crops, and replanting of trees.

It is desirable to provide a shield means foruse in conjunction with a stuffingbox of a wellhead that precludes the spraying of well fluid into the atmosphere upon failure of the stuffing box packingfiOne prior art apparatus for accomplishing this purpose is disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,270,810 to Johnsoni t In the prior art shields for stuffing box esyit has been generally necessary to remove the polishedr'od from the cross-beam of the pumpjack so as to enable various components of the shield device to be placed about various components of the wellheadfMoreover, some prior art protectors of this type may be dislocated or misaligned relative to the wellhead upon being struck by the force of the well fluid as the fluid sprays through the ruptured packing gland of the stuffing box. r

The present invention overcomes'the above objec- The spray shield assembly downwardly opens so that should production fluid escape from the stuffing box,

the fluid will be directed in a downward direction to thereby avoid contamination of the area surrounding the'wellheadr' The spray shieldassembly can be assembled about thewellhead and sucker rod without disassembly of the wellhead or the production apparatus associated therewith.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is the provision of a spray shield which prevents well fluids tions and provides forthe above desirable expedients by the provision of improvements in a spray shield assembly as set forth in the following specification;

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention describes a spray shield assembly in the form of a bonnet comprised ofa fixed member to which a removable member is. attached. The spray shield assembly has a split seal located in an upper'wall thereof so that the spray shield assembly can be mounted about the stuffing box ofanoil well with the split seal being axially aligned with and sealingly engaging the reciprocating polished rod. One 'halfof the split seal is affixed to the removable member while the remaining half ofthe split seal is affixed to the fixed member.

FIG. 5 is a side View of from contaminating the atmosphere or surrounding areas of an oil well.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spray shield for a wellhead which maintains the polished rod in a clean and operative condition and prevents contamination of the immedi'ate surroundings.

A furtherobject of this invention is to disclose and provide a spray shield which is affixed to a wellhead in a manner whereby damage from well fluids released under pressure-is obviated.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a spray shield assembly for use in conjunction with the pumping's'ystemof an oil well which can be assembled without the necessity of disassembling any part of the wellhead or pumpjack apparatus.

These and various other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description and claims andby referring to the accompanying drawings. 1 I

The above objects are attained in accordance with the present invention by the provision ofa combination of elements which are fabricated in a manner substantially as described in the above-abstract and summary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a second embodimen't of -the invention;

FIG. 2'is a-top plan view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. I; I' FIG. 3 is a top plan-disassembled view ofthe'appara tus illustrated in FIG. 1; "'FIG. 4 is an-end view of part of the apparatus of FIG. I, viewed the direction indicated by the arrows 4-4 o'fFIG. 3;

FIGS. 1 and3; FIG. 6 is an enlarged broken view taken along line part of the apparatus seen in '66 "of FIG. 4-, and,

FIGS. 7a and 717 are perspec'tiveviews of part of the apparatus seen disclosed in FIGS. 4 and 6.

I DETAILED DEscRiPTioN OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS center handle portion 47 which actuates a linkage member that engages an outwardly directed anchor 48 attached to a fixed member 49. The fixed member is bolted or spot welded to vertical cantilever member 50 which is bolted to a vertical extension 5] by means of the illustrated slots 52. Support pad 53 is in the form of a saddle which receives U-bolt 54 therethrough for securing the entire assembly to an out-flow line 13 connected to the wellhead.

As seen in some of the remaining figures. and in particular FIGS; 25, the fixed member includes a top portion 55 which slidably receives a marginal portion of the removable member with edge portion 56 being superimposed thereover in the illustrated manner of FIGS. 2 and 3. Split seal 57 preferably is in the form of two semicircular housings within which there is disposed two semicircular pieces of felt 58, 59 which slidably enclose a marginal portion of the polished rod in a manner which permits the rod to freely reciprocate therethrough in a sealed manner.

Edge portions 60 of the fixed member are normally aligned with edge portion 57' of the seal means when the apparatus is in assembled configuration. Edge portion 6] is superimposed upon edge portion 60' so that a portion of the top 45 is slidably received over a portion of top 55 in overlapping relationship therewith in the illustrated manner of FIGS. 2 and 3.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, the split seal is held in proper aligned position by means of a plurality of L- shaped brackets 62 which form a housing so as to capture the seal therewithin. The felt seal is provided with an interface as seen at 64 in FIG. 7 to facilitate assembly of .the apparatus to the wellhead.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the fixedmember includes inwardly directed faces 65, 66, with face 65 being received in abutting relationship against face 67, and with the forwardly directed ledger plate 68 enclosing a marginal portion 65' of the fixed member.

As seen in H0. 3, the lower peripheral edge portion of the bonnet is described by a horizontal flange member 69 which extends in a discontinuous manner about the entire shield assembly as illustrated by the numeral 70.

ln o eration, extension 5! is bolted to the outflow pipe and the fixed member is adjustably mounted thereto by means of the bolts received through slots 52. The removable member 44 is mated with the fixed member by sliding edge portion 61 into the dot-dashed position seen at 56 in FIG. 3. Vertically extending flange 65 is received within the vertical slot formed by' wall portions 67. 68. The two members are releasably latched together by means of the fastener 46.

As the polished rod reciprocates within the seal 57, it is maintained clean of foreign debris including abrasive particles, thereby substantially elongating the life of the stuffing box. Should the stuffing box develop a leak, well fluid spraying therefrom is contained within the limited area of the downwardly opening shield so that the fluid is directed away from the shield and in a direction'towardsthe cellar of the wellhead.

It will be noted that the seal assembly ofthe present invention is-supported free of the stuffing box. When it is desired to service the stuffing-box. latches 46 are released, the movable member is pulled away from the fixed member in the illustrated manner of FIG. 10. thereby exposing the stuffing box and enabling it to be worked on in-a convenient and commodious manner.

I claim: 1

I. la combination with a wellhead having a stuffing box with a polished rod reciprocatingly received therewithin. a spray shield assembly in the form of a downwardly opening hollow bonnet member;

said bonnet member being comprised of a fixed member and a removable member, means by which said fixed and removable members are fastened together so that the removable member can be parted from the fixed member to enable the bonnet to be affixed to the assembled wellhead;

said removable member having an upper wall, 0p-

posed side walls, and an end wall, said upper wall having a free edge portion;

said fixed member having a top portion, an end wall, and opposed side walls, said top portion having a free edge portion;

said fixed and removable members, when parted,

being outwardly opening toward one another;

a marginal top portion of said fixed member receiving a marginal free end portion of said upper wall of said removable member in overlaping relationship therewith;

two semicircular members forming a split seal housing, said housing being axially arranged respective to the polished rod, a seal means mounted within said housing, each of said semicircular members having opposed ends which abut one another when said fixed and removable members are assembled into said bonnet member; the opposed end of one semicircular member being placed at the free edge portion of said top portion of said fixed member; the opposed end of the other semicircular member being arranged on said upper wall of said removable member at a position spaced from the free edge of said upper wall;

a diverging cut-out forming edge portions extending from said opposed ends of said other semicircular member to said free end of said upper wall;

and mount meansfor supporting said bonnet member about the stuffing box.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said fixed memberhasinwardly directed faces formed thereon which'define the innermost edge portion of said opposed sidewalls;

the opposed side walls of said removable member terminating as an inwardly directed face which abuttingly engages the inwardly directed faces of said fixed member;

and a ledger plate affixed to the inwardly directed faces of said removable member, said ledger plate I being disposed parallel to the opposed side walls of said removable and fixed members, so tht the ledger plate maintains the opposed side walls of the fixed and removable members properly aligned relative to one another.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein each said semicircular member forming a split seal housing is in the form of a plurality of L-shaped brackets, each L- shaped bracket having one leg thereof affixed to said bonnet member with the remaining leg thereof being radially and inwardlydisposed to form an annulus within which said seal means can be captured.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said seal means is an annular resilient body having a radial split formed therein to enable the seal means to be placed about the polished rod. 1

member and with the remaining leg thereof being radially and inwardly disposed to form an annulus within which said seal means can be captured;

said seal means being an annular resilient body having means forming a radial split therein to enable the seal means to be a discontinuous body which can be placed about the polished rod. 

1. In combination with a wellhead having a stuffing box with a polished rod reciprocatingly received therewithin, a spray shield assembly in the form of a downwardly opening hollow bonnet member; said bonnet member being comprised of a fixed member and a removable member, means by which said fixed and removable members are fastened together so that the removable member can be parted from the fixed member to enable the bonnet to be affixed to the assembled wellhead; said removable member having an upper wall, opposed side walls, and an end wall, said upper wall having a free edge portion; said fixed member having a top portion, an end wall, and opposed side walls, said top portion having a free edge portion; said fixed and removable members, when parted, being outwardly opening toward one another; a marginal top portion of said fixed member receiving a marginal free end portion of said upper wall of said removabLe member in overlaping relationship therewith; two semicircular members forming a split seal housing, said housing being axially arranged respective to the polished rod, a seal means mounted within said housing, each of said semicircular members having opposed ends which abut one another when said fixed and removable members are assembled into said bonnet member; the opposed end of one semicircular member being placed at the free edge portion of said top portion of said fixed member; the opposed end of the other semicircular member being arranged on said upper wall of said removable member at a position spaced from the free edge of said upper wall; a diverging cut-out forming edge portions extending from said opposed ends of said other semicircular member to said free end of said upper wall; and mount means for supporting said bonnet member about the stuffing box.
 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said fixed member has inwardly directed faces formed thereon which define the innermost edge portion of said opposed sidewalls; the opposed side walls of said removable member terminating as an inwardly directed face which abuttingly engages the inwardly directed faces of said fixed member; and a ledger plate affixed to the inwardly directed faces of said removable member, said ledger plate being disposed parallel to the opposed side walls of said removable and fixed members, so tht the ledger plate maintains the opposed side walls of the fixed and removable members properly aligned relative to one another.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein each said semicircular member forming a split seal housing is in the form of a plurality of L-shaped brackets, each L-shaped bracket having one leg thereof affixed to said bonnet member with the remaining leg thereof being radially and inwardly disposed to form an annulus within which said seal means can be captured.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said seal means is an annular resilient body having a radial split formed therein to enable the seal means to be placed about the polished rod.
 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said free edge portion of said upper wall is located adjacent to said end wall of said fixed member when the fixed and removable members are mated to form said bonnet member.
 6. The combination of claim 1 wherein each said semicircular member of said split seal housing includes a plurality of L-shaped brackets having opposed parallel legs with one leg thereof affixed to said bonnet member and with the remaining leg thereof being radially and inwardly disposed to form an annulus within which said seal means can be captured; said seal means being an annular resilient body having means forming a radial split therein to enable the seal means to be a discontinuous body which can be placed about the polished rod. 